The S6 Is a Classic Audi

Coincidentally, I drove this Audi S6 a few weeks before the automaker introduced the electric-powered A6 and S6 E-Tron. Audi told Motor1 that the gas-powered A6 and S6 will stick around for a while alongside the electric cars—both are updated for the 2024 model year—but there’s no doubt where it’s headed. Audi’s launch of a new electric sedan recontextualizes its older sedans.

The A6 can trace its lineage back to the 1968 Audi 100, the first car from Audi as we know it today. The S6 embodies the typically German approach to automotive engineering: come up with an idea and stick with it no matter what. The traditional Audi drivetrain layout with the engine in front of the front-mounted transaxle originated in the 1930s, with the DKW F9the successor to the Volkswagen Beetle. The layout had its advantages; it created lots of interior space and easy packaging of all-wheel drive with a simple drive shaft running to the rear. However, it put the heaviest part of the car exactly where you didn’t want it, creating a potential nightmare for vehicle dynamics.

Front-engined cars generally have their engines mounted as far behind the front wheels as possible. Aside from Subaru, Audi is pretty much alone in this approach to packaging. This is where the “Audi understeer” trope comes from, and there’s some truth to it. So it seems like this layout would be an odd basis for a sports sedan.

But I think we have to consider how people actually use a car like this. Does anyone take an S6 to a racetrack? Probably not. Do people wake up early to carve up canyons in one of these? I doubt it. They use it like a regular luxury sedan, which happens to be faster than most other sedans. In that way, the S6 succeeds.

Chris Perkins / Motor1

Pros: Stunning Interior, Refined Styling, Powerful Performance

Despite being updated for 2024, the A6 is by far the oldest German midsize luxury sedan, with new versions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series debuting last year. I actually think that’s an asset. The interior still has plenty of physical knobs and switches that make sense, and despite having a second screen for the climate controls, it works very well. Plus, the car has a nice overall Audi feel. The company really knows how to make a car feel comfortable, and this one with the extended leather interior—part of the $8,200 Prestige package—is downright luxurious. This is one of those cars that just feels right the moment you step inside.

Gone are the days of the Audi S6 with its silly engines, twin-turbo V-8s and even V-10s. While not particularly characterful, the 444-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 is effective and even rhythmic at times. In the S6, it’s boosted by a 48-volt electric compressor that helps offset turbo lag, so there’s always good response from low revs, and the eight-speed automatic transmission is smooth and quick through the ratios.

Chris Perkins / Motor1

Chris Perkins / Motor1

Without the $4,000 S Sport Package, which includes rear-wheel steering, an electronically controlled rear differential and a sport exhaust, I don’t think the S6 is quite as capable a driver. But it’s competent on fast roads, with a ride that’s never too harsh despite its 21-inch wheels. Thanks to the height-adjustable air suspension with adaptive dampers for that.

Interestingly, the S6 no longer has a direct competitor, at least among gas-powered luxury sedans. Both the BMW 540i and the Mercedes-Benz E450 are less powerful, and less performance-focused, though both are slightly cheaper. Meanwhile, BMW no longer offers the M550i, and the Mercedes-AMG E53 is now a 603-hp plug-in hybrid that will likely cost significantly more than the 2025 S6’s base price of $76,995. (We tested a 2024 model, but that car is unchanged for 2025.)

Plus, there’s a real eye-catching appeal here. It may not be in this gorgeous Grenadine Red, but the S6 is relatively subtle and charming compared to the new E-Class and 5 Series. Get one of these cars in a dark color, too, and it’ll really turn heads.

Chris Perkins / Motor1

Cons: Not fun to ride, not the most inspiring machine

Like many Audis, it’s easy to see how the S6 fits into your life. It’s not the most thrilling four-door on the market, but as a luxury everyday car with some GT qualities, it’s a worthy choice. It drives well, without asking its owners to sacrifice performance.

I think there’s a real charm here, too. I’m a romantic when it comes to automotive history, and I appreciate Audi’s stubbornness in sticking to a familiar formula, even when many would argue that’s not the right approach. It’s a bit like Porsche sticking with a rear-mounted flat-six in its 911, even though rear-engined cars have been phased out. That’s something you only get from a German carmaker.

This mechanical layout will still be around for a few more years. After the gas-powered A6 is launched, Audi will replace it and the A7 with a single model bearing the A7 name, just as it did with the A4 and A5. However, the electric era will eventually cause Audi to abandon something it has done for decades. This is happening across the automotive industry, and while I certainly don’t want to say it’s a bad thing, it is there. We are starting to lose some of our ties to the past.

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Chris Perkins / Motor1